Lunar Phenomenon
by readwithcats
Summary: "You will kill your clan." Were the first words she said to him. The second were "And I will help you." [OC- Insert]
1. Of New Beginnings

**So, first I suppose, welcome to the rewritten chapter one of LP. If you're new, then enjoy the ride and know you missed out on nothing. If you're not, then _thank you_ for sticking with me. Hopefully, this'll be much better than the original, which I am sad to say had little to no planning/research done and I never wrote the best I could to be honest.**

 **However, that being said, some things will remain the same and some things will not. The overlying plot of course will stay the same, but there will be some defining changes.  
**

 **Enjoy!**

 _Lunar Phenomenon_

 _._

 _Chapter I_

 _Of New Beginnings_

 _._

It was truly ironic how she had been sucked into her mother's world from her own, and her mother had been sucked into another one that might have been her own. The circle of life, huh?

Funny thing was—dying had twisted her dry humor into something a little more… morbid—she had been birthed in the Naruto-verse. Now, it wasn't actually _funny_ , mind you, but there was something so _damning_ about it that made her want to laugh until her voice grew hoarse and raw. (She realized that something other than her humor might have been twisted as well, but—)

(That just made her want to laugh harder.)

.

The orphanage she survived—she didn't think she could ever say that she had lived there, not after what she had endured—in for the first few years of her new life was a shabby building that should have never gotten that many lost and needy children with a Matron who tried her best to satisfy them.

( _"I want mommy! M—mommy! Wahh!"Another toddler wailed for a person that would never come, fat hands grabbing at empty air. It was almost saddening to watch as Mother—the Matron always told them to call her that—struggled to reassure the demanding child with already two nestled in her warm arms._

 _Almost instantly, the children picked up the battle cry and the orphanage was once again a cacophony of desperate, lonely voices wanting to be held._ )

She always kept quiet—even when her stomach growled and her teeth itched and her heart ached for human company. Once she turned two, she realized she wasn't the only one who tried to make things better for Mother.

( _A child was crying in the room next to hers. This wasn't anything unusual, or out of the ordinary, no, it was the fact that no muffled footsteps and creaking doors could be heard. There was only the wailing that was ever so slowly increasing in volume as the time the child went alone increased._

 _Mother hadn't heard—but she had._

 _She sat up, careful not to place her small hands on a squeaky spring, and looked around the room to see if anybody else had woken up. No one had._

 _So she slid off the bottom bunk—she was eternally grateful for not picking the top one—and approached the wooden door, wincing at the slightest sound and hoping no one would wake up. Eventually she reached it, but as she reached for the handle, she frowned in annoyance._

 _She wasn't tall enough._

 _Well, she had never thought height would continue to bother her even in her next life. With a quick breath, she attempted to tip-toe and made another grab for the door handle. Thankfully, she managed though her muscles felt stretched and sleep was rapidly coming nearer._

 _Stepping outside the room, she didn't close the door because she didn't think she could make another risky tip-toe save. Sage, did she_ hate _her age! Here, she didn't take as many precautions to not step on hollow planks, because the foundations that kept the second floor from collapsing were directly underneath the hallway. They were solid. Plus, most kids learned to deep sleep after being there for more than a year._

 _She pouted when she saw the door where the crying was coming from was already open. Had one of the older orphans beaten her to the punch? They couldn't have, all of them were selfish pompous brats._

 _…_ _right?_

 _She sighed in relief. It was a boy probably a year or two older than her that had come to the rescue. Not old enough to count as an older orphan. But still. Should a three year old know to come quiet the kid to give Mother some more sleep?_

 _Hell if she knew. Paying attention to kids in her previous life hadn't exactly been a hobby… the most time she had spent with a kid younger than her was with her cousin when he was five—not three. And she didn't think her—sweet, adorable—cousin would have thought to do what that three year old was doing._

 _Perhaps it was a prodigy? But what prodigy had been an orphan from the start? None that she could remember; Kakashi was made one around age five and had Minato as a guardian afterwards, and Itachi was the one who made himself an orphan, really._

 _Seeing the boy rocking the sniffling kid, she felt reassured that the kid would be fine and went to return to her room without alerting someone of her mental maturity. She had a feeling it wouldn't go over too well. Or just, you know, go well for her—or at all, actually._

 _This universe was terrifying and she didn't know how she'd do later on. Her mental stability probably wouldn't be the greatest, especially when anything right now could possibly break her. She was still a little shaken up over her own death._

 _"_ _Wait!" It was a hissed shout. She didn't take to it too well; she yelped slightly. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to… scare you."_

 _"_ _It fine." She tilted her head, that hadn't come out right, had it? "It… fine? No—it's fine." She nodded to herself, now that was the right way to say it._

 _The boy managed a weak smile at her failed trials._

 _She huffed. Stupid boy._

 _"_ _Um, thank you," the boy scratched the back of his head nervously, "for coming to help."_

 _Upon further investigation, she noticed a bandage wrapped around his head. "Hurt?"_

 _Mentally she seethed, when Mother wasn't looking, she would go to the small bookshelf and find books to read. She couldn't believe how bad her language skills were. They were abysmal and that was not acceptable. It would have to be extra discreet though, she couldn't have anyone thinking she was a prodigy. Not until she was at least five and knew exactly what she would be getting into._

 _"_ _This?" He pointed to his head. She nodded. "It doesn't hurt anymore so don't worry."_

 _She blinked in surprise, she hadn't been worried—curious more like it. Oh well, he could go on thinking she was just some cute worried two year old. It couldn't hurt her._

 _He smiled at her reaction and she had to wonder what he took her blink at, a sign that she understood? Was happy he wasn't in pain? She had no idea how actual little kids thought._

 _"_ _You should go back to bed now," he gestured at her room and she got the message even if she didn't like taking orders._

 _She would go back to sleep.)_

Soon after that incident, her grasp on the language, Japanese, increased and she mastered Hiragana. It was surprisingly easy. Katakana came next, and well, she struggled. It was definitely harder. 'Mu' and 'ma' were practically the same but twisted—except she could never which was which—and 'se' and 'sa' were the same. Then you had 'ne' that was just plain impossible to write as an almost three year old. It was frustrating so say at the least.

Luck must've been on her side though. No one had discovered her favorite pastime yet; reading.

There was a strict schedule at the Orphanage to keep it running and right before lights out, there was a ten minute break for socialization. She never used it as such and instead used it to read and practice Japanese, because _Kanji_.

It was going to kill her. A lifetime ago, a sister of hers had studied Chinese and she remember hearing her study, flipping the pages of workbooks and copying the meanings as well as the pronunciations. It hadn't seemed like fun then and it certainly wasn't going to be now. Of that, there was no doubt in her mind.

Her life continued and she occasionally saw the boy in the hallways. He would always wave and smile at her, the most she'd do was tentatively wave back. It was weird how cheery he was. And those glasses that had magically appeared on his face sent her brain scrambling.

There was just something _so familiar_ about his face with the glasses on. It did nothing but increase the goosebumps that showed up each time he smiled. Like, he was cute—he _was_ a kid—but just randomly smiling a stranger who you don't even know the name of seemed like he was waiting to get taken advantage of. So, as logic dictated, she steered clear of him.

She didn't want to get killed because of his over trusting tendencies, _thank you very much_.

.

A year passed, she turned four, started Kanji, and _the kid was still grinning at me like a brainwashed fan_! She was slightly worried for his well-being. What could she say, naïve little kids that didn't know any better tugged on my almost non-existent heartstrings?

More kids were pushed on the orphanage's doorstep—literally—as the third shinobi war dragged on. From what she had put together, Konoha was at a slight disadvantage despite being one of the best shinobi villages. Suna—their supposed ally—wasn't helping them in the slightest, and when a shinobi had dropped by the other day—probably another orphan that had long since graduated—they said that Suna had ambushed a team of chunin, killing all but one who had managed to escape with his life enact.

It was depressing to hear about, but fun to think if they too had landed in a different world with strange laws and customs. Would they land in her world? Or in Bleach-verse? Could you imagine Attack on Titans? Oh, they would get positively slaughtered like pigs, she thought with glee.

The book in her hand had all been but forgotten as she crawled deep inside her head caught in her thoughts. The possibilities were endless. If she died again right now, would she be sent to another world again? Maybe it wasn't limited to just anime?

If there was a Harry Potter world out there, she swore to find it. That was one world she really wouldn't mind being born into. Sure, Voldemort was terrible, but you were fine if you stayed out of the way… right?

That was what she was hoping, because that was really the only thing she planned to do in this world. Though being a shinobi would be pretty cool. And if she died sooner rather than later because of her career choice, well, that was one step closer to being a wizard.

.

The war was over but—

Children were missing.

One of them had been the girl who had the top part of their bunk, and it had thoroughly spooked her. She could've been the one taken and that was enough to get her to start moving for the future. The orphanage was no longer safe.

She needed to find some other place before she could apply for the academy. With children disappearing every other night, she could escape the place at night under the guise of being taken. No one would search for her. The other orphans were far too afraid of being taken as well.

It was something out of nightmares for them.

All of them wanted to make a mark on the world—to be known, to be _loved_ —and to have that opportunity whisked right underneath their noses scared them down to the very marrow of their bones. None of them wanted to live and die with no one ever knowing their name.

They didn't wanted to be ghosts.

She understood the fear well. Living as an orphan the past five years had given her an imprint of their fear. An echo of sorts that she felt when she noticed one more child disappear without ever truly living.

Mother seemed to lose more and more sleep as more and more children disappeared under her watch. The dark bags underneath her eyes seemed far more visible than usual and her face seemed to have been permanently sewed into a stressed frown and concerned eyes. At least she pretended for the youngest kids that everything was fine, but everyone past the age of five seemed to have caught on to the undercurrent of fear and panic.

They didn't when and where the mysterious kidnapper would appear and if they were next. It made everyone jittery and on their toes, ready to run at the first sign of danger.

They were all cowards.

.

Around a month later, she took her chance and rolled with it.

The orphanage was on the outskirts of the famed Konoha forest, and while it had seemed logical to go at night, she was regretting her decision. The shadows of the branches and towering, gnarled trees that blocked the moonlight weren't exactly comforting, especially when the kidnapper could be in that very forest watching her— _following_ her—

She shook her head, even as she glanced around uneasily and her hands tightened around the pack she had brought along, she couldn't start to think like that. That kind of thinking would psych herself out and that _couldn't_ be afforded to happen.

The forest might not have been the safest place to be in, but neither was the orphanage. She was a little sad to leave the smiley little boy behind. She clung to the hope that since he was familiar to her, he remained alive throughout the show. Her presence couldn't have affected the timeline that much.

Not that she knew where _exactly_ she was in it, but she was sure to find out soon. Hopefully, not the rookie nine time because the academy would be a mess then. Hell, she might not even join if it was. But she was, like, nine-eight percent sure it wasn't because the third shinobi war had just ended and they were all born during a time of peace if she remember correctly.

She ignored the sneaking suspicion of where she got placed within the timeline, because it seemed almost too cruel to be true. So she did the next best thing, she distracted herself from the possibility.

Almost whistled before freezing. Maybe she should just focus of her surroundings. She was finally out of the haunted forest—she didn't care what anybody told her, _shadows_ _didn't_ _move out of blue_ —and the city was in view. It was almost midnight, or at least she assumed it was, but people were still moving out and about.

She didn't care though.

She had made it out—alive.

.

A walk around the village told her that there were several abandoned buildings that she could use as a hideout. One was far from the academy, so it was immediately crossed of the metaphorical list. Another was on the verge of collapse and obviously not safe. There were a couple more that meet her requirements, and in the end she was just left with one.

All in all, she was satisfied.

The place wasn't too run down yet. Probably had been abandoned recently if the light dusting was to go by. The lighting still worked, which was an extra bonus. However, there was a broken window that let in a cold draft that had chilled her on the first day sleeping there. She told herself that as soon as she learned to walk on walls she would cover it up. It seemed like a good plan, anyway.

She took out the extra blanket she had taken from the orphanage, and unexpectedly, a pang of guilt struck her. Some kids needed this more than her, and yet, here she was.

Had another kid been taken yesterday night while she was on her escapade to freedom? Had that kid taken her place? Had she been the one who was supposed to be taken? Would the smiley kid survive in this harsh world? Or had he been the kid who was taken?

These questions plagued her and sucked the joy of being free right out of her cold, shriveled heart.

She didn't deserve being free. She didn't deserve to be alive.

 _She didn't deserve to be breathing after dying once._

.

So, taking a page from Shikamaru's book, she became lazy and hid her adult wit until a situation called for it. It had worked so far for her. Eventually, it became a natural part of her and it didn't feel as fake as it usually did. Being lazy and always sleepy was… nice in an expected way.

She could literally be a cat—her favorite animal. And so that became that.

The books at the orphanage had been great, but they were old and outdated. She got herself a library card and checked out books on the daily. The librarian even got her to squeeze out her name one day and always reminded her that the books had better return in pristine condition or else. The librarian never actually completed her threats but rather left them open.

Without a doubt, the librarian obviously cared about her. It was sort of sweet, watching her peer suspiciously through her glasses at her.

Food—well, food was stolen. At least she got her running practice, and her hands no longer trembled when she concentrated. Stealing only improved her skills, really. The thrill of getting away with it was intoxicating and left her wanting more excitement in her life.

Then, spring rolled around the corner and she was filling out forms for the academy. It was tiring to be honest. She had gotten used to lazing around her new home and doing nothing except sticking her nose in a book. Occasionally, she would doodle a little something or another on a page and laugh, picturing the librarian's reactions. It was pretty fun.

Life was good for her.

.

Or at least, it had been when she had been forever ignorant of the horrors that would await her on her first day of school.

Uchiha Itachi.

 _Uchiha fucking Itachi_.

She decided to steer clear of him and hoped to never get involved with the mess that was his life.

.

She really, really hated when her master plan didn't work.

.

(Oh, how she wanted to laugh now.)

.

 **So it's a bit different already, whether its good or bad, well that's up to you.**

 **Leave a comment, maybe?**

 **(Thank you so much to the people who have favorited, followed, and reviewed! I hope you don't hate me for rewriting it, but I really couldn't stand having it written like it was. I hope you'll continue to stick with me :))**


	2. Island of Lies and Regrets

.

 _Chapter II_

 _Island of lies and regrets_

 _._

She didn't know why she had said what she said—" _You will murder your clan, Uchiha Itachi_."

There was no possible reason that made sense. None. What had compelled her to say such a thing? Surely it couldn't been out of the kindness in her heart. She didn't have any of that left, not for herself, not for fictional strangers.

And she hadn't done anything impulsive since she had gone to shush the crying baby and met Smiley. She was never a risky person; she was a cautious creature that patiently wove her silken trap in the silent company of the blinking night.

So _why_?

(— _he was a kid, a helpless child. How could she—_ )

She didn't know.

(— _leave him to kill all of them alone?_ —)

.

After an experimental glance from her seat in the back, she found herself satisfied that no students seemed to have heard what she had said to the Uchiha. She let go of the breath she had been holding and sagged in relief. Already she was regretting joining the academy, if just for that impulsive behavior she had just pulled.

She placed her head on the palm of her hand and turned to see the younger kids playing in the dry dirt, kicking up dust bunnies with parents clustered in groups, all watching their kids just the same. She wondered what the parents were chatting about, was it the child disappearances? Or was it just idle chatter in that peaceful bubble of a utopia they had surrounded themselves in?

They laughed and she found her answer, disappointing as it might've been. One parent called out to their son, but the son ignored them and continued playing the game of ninja. Angered, she clenched her jaw.

( _It was a week before she left the house that she had called home for the past five years of her life, and a girl had drifted off to join her next to the bookcase and sat on the old carpet that was slowly falling apart._

 _She hadn't wanted to start the conversation and she hadn't needed to._

 _"_ _Did you know your Mother before… before you came here?" The girl was going to be twisting her hair into knots if she didn't stop soon._

 _Shaking her head, she replied, "no. This—this is all I've ever had."_

 _The lie came out bittersweet on her tongue._

 _"_ _Oh." The girl had such sad blue eyes. "I miss my Mom. She was nice and_ always _read me stories. You reminded me of her because you're always here."_

 _"_ _Do you wish you could back to those days?" The question came out before she could take it back._

 _"_ _Every single day."_

 _In the end, the girl wasn't the only one who had sad eyes when the lights flickered off, everyone saw them reflected and refracted off their own misty eyes._

 _Their wishes were all the same.)_

She blinked, the girl had been one of the first to be taken. Or had she just been the first she had noticed gone? She would never know, she thought somberly.

"Excuse me…"

Brushing away the strands of hair that covered her vision, she faced the person who had spoken. "Oh. It's you."

Uchiha Itachi was frowning. "Yes… it is me."

With that obvious statement and slight internal entertainment, she yawned and laid her head down on the cold desk. It could be fun messing with his mind, she supposed, _especially_ if he was trying to make sense of her.

Too bad there was no making sense of her.

And thus, a future murderer politely sat down on the chair besides hers. It was rather anti-climactic.

.

A week later, she could confidently say that against all her wishes a routine had been established. It also went against her simple, logical plan.

It was the bane of her existence, as some might've said.

"Good morning, Tsuki-san," the origin of all her current problems greeted her.

She grunted as her form of a reply, it was translated to something a little like this; _fuck you too_. She found it was a great stress reliever, and hey, what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. Except in this twisted world, ignorance could cause a life to be snuffled out just as fast as knowledge could. Yet another fact to add to why this world was thoroughly immoral and depraved of all reason.

"Tsuki, could you answer number thirteen on the worksheet please?" Tsubaki-sensei asked, but it may has well have been a command.

She stared at her blank paper, and it stared back at her. Apparently, Shikamaru wasn't the greatest inspiration, or role model, for passing the academy. Flipping the paper over—because she couldn't even have the luck of pretending to have been paying attention—she quickly read over number thirteen.

"Do you perhaps want to call on a friend?" Tsubaki-sensei suggested, her face softening at the site of a lost student. "It's alright if you're struggling, Tsuki."

Gritting her teeth together, she gave the correct answer, "The Yondaime is named the Yellow Flash because of his technique called the Hiraishin."

"That is correct," Sensei nodded and paced around the room, "however, there is another acceptable answer. Would anyone care to take a guess?"

Only one hand was raised. "Yes, Itachi?"

Her mood soured almost instantly.

"He is also called the Yellow Flash because during the war, he was often seen first before Konoha armies attacked. The flash before the bang as some people have said."

"Fantastic, as you can see, there can be a multitude of answers, so long as they are correct." Her face grew solemn. "There is never just one option."

And so class continued, bored as she was, with no more interruptions to her Sensei's lecture about the Yondaime who had made his mark in the Third Shinobi war, while she had been stuck in a crowded orphanage. The only relatable fact that he had was that he was an orphan like her—but she had already known that, the few non-picture books at the orphanage were about the Hokages.

The kids that had been enjoying themselves outside left before lunch, and she found herself lacking anything to observe for the ten minutes that were remaining. She swung her gaze to her classmates and allowed herself a small smile. Almost everyone in this generation had died, or had become nobodies, which—let's be real here—was practically the same.

There was Ureshi—no last name—who had a vaguely familiar head and being an orphan as well, she concluded that she had probably seen her around the halls in the orphanage. The older girl had light blonde hair that reached her shoulders and wore an obvious hand-me-down jacket. She was tempted to ask if Smiley was still there, but there was no guarantee that Ureshi wouldn't tell Mother about her escape.

A giggle drew her brown eyes to the tall girl sitting next to her. She had long, black hair that covered the back of her dark navy blouse and was sporting a wide grin as she shared a note with Ureshi, who rolled her eyes.

"Anything you'd like to tell the class, Izumi?" Tsubaki-sensei's sharp eyes froze the poor girl.

Ureshi discreetly elbowed her friend and sent a beaming smile over to Sensei. "We were just admiring Yondaime's prowess in battle. I wish I could see him…"

"Yeah," Izumi was quick to catch on, "he's so cool! And… um… I once ran into his wife, Uzumaki-san, and she was just as awesome! Even though most people don't realize it, she's one of the strongest shinobi we have. I want to be just like her and Tsunade-sama!" She declared, turning bright red at the snickers.

"I think that's a wonderful goal for kunoichi to have," Sensei glared at the group of boys in the middle, "and certainly not one to be laughed at."

The mocking laughter stopped almost immediately, and she smiled sweetly. "A quiz on what we have covered today will be given after lunch, so make sure to study!"

Tsuki brightened slightly, there would be a chance to bring up her average after that test where she had missed two, and she would not miss out on it. Procrastination had stayed in her previous life and she could only hope it would stay there. She was rummaging through her bag to find the book about the current Hokage when the bell rang, signaling for lunch break. Breaking into a smile, she held up the book like a trophy even as children flooded the walkways to make it outside.

"Do you not have a lunch, Tsuki-san?" Itachi asked as he opened his bento. "If you'd like, you may have parts of mine."

She shook her head, distracted, and went back to researching information for the upcoming pop quiz.

"It is not healthy to skip out on any meals."

Sighing, she closed the book. "Yes, I'm perfectly aware of that, Uchiha. Now, what do you want?"

"Do I have to want something to speak to you?" His dark eyes reflected nothing but a pale, young child.

It was interesting to see herself as such when she could only ever see a smiling, tan teenager hanging out with long forgotten friends. Caught in her nostalgia, she whispered, "In this world… yes."

His eyes narrowed and her reflection distorted. The want and longing fled as her memories were fractured to pieces beyond repaired.

(— _were laughing and smiling with her. A fire was crackling, ambers soaring into the bare branches up above, and warmth was spreading to every part of her, stifling the cold. Puffs of air joined the gray smoke that whirled throughout the campsite with shadows flickering at the slightest shift of the wind that rattled the fire. She spun around with a joyful hop and_ —)

"In this world...? Are you saying you believe in different worlds?

(— _shattered like a crystal glass—_ )

"…No," she blinked lethargically, "of course not. Why would I?"

"You… confuse me." He left the class with a trench plastered in between his eyebrows.

She cocked her head to the side and was alone once more.

(— _gone._ —)

.

"Do you live in the abandoned warehouse that used to be a clothing shop?"

Tsuki had been in the midst of walking to the—as the girl standing in front of her put—abandoned warehouse before being assaulted by an iridescent blur. Having held a helping hand along with a sheepish smile, she had pointedly ignored it and brushed herself off. The girl hadn't been deterred though, and Tsuki quickly found herself being followed with questions that pertained to her state of living.

It was rather annoying.

"Oh!" The girl skipped backwards, silver hair shining as the sun set across the horizon. Her azure eyes had yet to be peeled off of her own, and it was becoming a slight worry. "I haven't told you my name yet, have I? It's Mayu!"

"I don't have time to spare for you," and so for the second time that day, she asked, "what do you want?"

Mayu brightened considerably. "You finally replied! But do you think it'd be possible for me to stay with you?"

"What about an orphanage?"

"…People are going missing, and well, I saw you at the Orphanage a couple times before. Then you disappeared too, but the other day Mother sent me to hospital with a note asking someone, Kabudo? Kabito? Ugh, never mind. Anyways, I saw you walking around and I couldn't help but think that maybe I could escape too! You did escape from the orphanage right? You weren't taken too, were you? Should I call for a shinobi? _Oh my god_! Was that why you weren't saying anything earlier, you didn't want me to get hurt?" The girl looked wildly around, her eyes screening the area frantically. "Wait _right_ here! Help is—"

"I wasn't taken," she stated, injecting as much calm as she could in the three words. They had already gotten a worrying amount of concerned stares from civilians and shinobi alike.

Mayu body's sagged like a ragdoll from relief. "Good, I won't have to go to the orphanage and face Mother or my friends."

Tsuki paused. "You ran away?"

"Uh… yeah?" Mayu looked at her weirdly, but she couldn't figure out why.

And wasn't that the question of the century; why?

"So can I? Because I don't have a place to stay." Cue cute puppy eyes.

She internally snarled at the site of them.

In the end, the girl managed to pester her way into staying with her so long as she held her own weight and kept the noise to a minimum. Tsuki wasn't exactly fond of loud sounds.

As she laid awake that night, staring at the cobwebbed roof, she wondered if her character had existed, but had just been killed off too soon. If she had been, then maybe she, reborn and all that, had been there too. It was a possibility she liked to think about too often.

It meant that she would die, regardless of future knowledge, and that everything she was doing—thinking, speaking, feeling—was scripted by the man behind the curtain.

She pondered if this how it felt to be a puppet to a person's whims.

(And if it was, she didn't mind.)

.

"Good morning, Tsuki-san."

She mumbled incoherently, her body still of a six year old and needing the sleep that she had skipped out on the night before. There was really no doubt that she absolutely loathed this body. The only silver-lining of the situation was that it made her lazy act all the more believable.

Shifting, she grabbed the book on her desk and used it as a much appreciated pillow. Unfortunately—or fortunately for her, she _had_ gotten what she wanted—it worked a bit too well, and she quickly found herself lost in convoluted dreams that sent fear running straight for her pounding heart.

"—uki-san?"

She jerked awake, and blearily wiped at her dry eyes. "Huh?"

"You are not supposed to sleep in class," Itachi informed her, very matter of factly, his voice never going above a whisper.

"So you woke me up?" She asked even as she brought the book— _Shinobi Rules for Dummies_ , now that she looked at it—closer to her and lowered her face against it once more.

He stared, black eyes uncomprehending. "You are going back to sleep?"

"Aren't you a genius or prodigy or whatever it's called?" She closed her own eyes, "figure it out."

It was needless to say the sandman did not take long to visit her, but as he arrived and her eyelids slowly drifted down, she was prevent once _again_ with a firm poke. She was not particularly happy.

"What do you want _Uchiha_?" She spat out. Her perfect plan had already been derailed because of some ridiculous notion of her, but that didn't mean she couldn't save it from falling off the bridge.

Itachi's countenance remained unmoved and unimpressed. "Why do you hate me?"

"…I don't hate you," she struggled to find the words and make them into a comprehending sentence, "I just don't like you either? Also stop answering my questions with questions. It's annoying."

"You never answered my question."

"When I am very clearly about to sleep or am already asleep, please leave me be." She said as politely as she could. Being on a hit list for a future murderer couldn't turn out too well for her after all. "And I never hated you, I just disliked you disrupting my sleep. Now will you answer mine?"

"Hn."

She shot a distained look at him. "You make this a lot more complicated than it's supposed to be."

"I… I don't want anything from you," he said hesitantly.

"Right," she snorted, "and I follow collectivism."

"Collectivism?"

"How to explain…? It's—"

"Itachi-san, Tsuki-san! Expect to stay after school for detention," Tsubaki-san scolded before going back to her mind-numbing lecture.

The only good thing that came out of that statement was Itachi's blanched face.

.

Detention, she thought, really wasn't terrible. It was just more time for her to catch up on her reading as a certain _someone_ —Mayu—kept taking up her time. That deal had been practically torn to shreds on the first day. She didn't mind the presence though, it was nice to have company in a barren building.

(It was nice to be reminded of her humanity.)

Sighing, she flipped another page on another book and continued reading, or as some had said before her, dreaming with her eyes open. The Yondaime truly was a man to be reckoned with; even the might Raikage hadn't stood a chance against him. And he hadn't even been elected as Hokage yet.

Why he might have even been awe-inspiring if she didn't know that he'd be dead in a year, or maybe less. Knowledge could impact perspective quite a lot as she as recently found out. Yet it could also be detrimental.

Knowing that Itachi would murder his family had tainted her opinion of him right from the start, _that_ she could not deny. She didn't regret it either, he was trouble and being acquaintances with him could be troublesome—Shikamaru was a relatable character apparently. Murphy's Law, however, existed for a reason, and her life—and death, she supposed—seemed to be the very embodiment of the law.

He was also a child. A lost and lonely child.

While her heart still beat soundly and her blood still rushed vividly, she had no heart to give to this lost boy who was stranded on an island of blood and lies.

(He was not the only one on an island of lies though.)

"Collectivism, what is it?" His frail voice broke through the silence that had reigned.

She hummed, finishing the page she had been on before replying. "Well, it's a philosophy."

He waited, clearly expecting more to be offered, but she had already been distracted by the next page. After a minute had passed, he attempted once again. "I've never heard of it. What does it entail?"

"…huh?" She stared blankly at him.

"Collectivism."

"Oh, that." Avoiding him had become a hassle. An unwanted one at that.

"Why do you insist on ignoring me?" He persisted.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you _are_."

"I am _not_."

" _Stop_ _lying_!"

"I am _not_ lying!"

"You _never_ greet me in the morning, _never_ speak to me, and you _purposely_ bring a book to read instead of interacting with me!"

"I _willingly_ spoke to you on the third week of school!"

"Yes, to tell me how _you wished to kill my clan_."

"…that wasn't the way it was intended in my defense."

"How was I supposed to take it then?"

"I— I don't know?" She threw her arms in the air. "I'm trying to read anyways, just ask your parents about collectivism."

"Is it about my clan?"

"No." It was just him. Not that she would tell. "Leave me alone."

A strangled sound made its way up his throat, and she found herself reeling, wondering if she had heard right. In all three weeks, never had she heard such a sound come out of Itachi's mouth—or any Uchiha, really. He quickly ducked his head, dark hair coming down like a curtain at a play to hide his facial expression, and backed away from her.

As he did so, she realized she had stood up at one point and plopped back down in the chair. "Whatever, I'm leaving anyways."

She moved towards the exit, consequences be damned. Tsubaki-sensei could get on her tail tomorrow.

There was rustling behind her and fast footfalls that weren't as quiet as wanted.

"Wait!"

She closed the door.

.

( _"And I am going to help you."_ )

.

(How she regretted those words now.)

.

 **Relatively fast update from me, I'm actually pretty impressed considering this whole week has been a mess. Thank you to sukondis, OneWhoReadsTooMuch, YoItsNotWhatYouThink, Myllinu, and everybody else who followed and favorited!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**


	3. Pandora's Box

**Some action and over-all more plot development. Hope you enjoy!**

.

 _Chapter III_

 _Pandora's Box_

.

"Shut up! _Shut up shuddup_!" Came the distance cries.

It appeared as though Inuzuka-san would be getting another detention today, she thought to herself watching the teachers approach the frustrated girl. This had happened for the past few days or so. She wasn't quite sure what was causing the outburst of anger, and she had no reason to care.

Except for the fact that she had always been curious by nature, however dulled by the caution needed to survive the world she was now residing in. She could feel it squeezing its way through the cracks of the box where she had sealed her it far back when the orphanage had been the roof above her head, and despite her willpower, it was relentless.

Tsuki already knew it was a lost cause to stop it, but that didn't mean she couldn't delay it.

So she shoved box of emotion in the darkest crevice of her mind and went back to reading.

The bell rang shortly after, and along with all the other grinning children, she calmly walked back to class. Her face was purposely kept impassive as she observed the flushed and panting group besides her with keen eyes.

Careless was what they were, she decided silently seething. Foolish and naïve to the world around them. Thinking that it would stop at the slightest sight of their despair. At least, the Uchiha—she couldn't allow herself to get attached—was aware of that. He had no disillusions, and for that, she mentally gave him points while deducting from all the other children in her class.

On that note, she would have to teach that to Mayu as she had taken it upon herself to educate the loud girl. She couldn't have a fool living with her.

Slipping into her seat and snatching her bag before the Uchiha inevitably returned, she rapidly hid the novel—a bad one if she did say so herself—and laid her head in hands, facing the other direction. She wished it could have been so simple to deter him from conversing with her.

"Did you have a lunch today?"

But of course it wouldn't.

Groaning, she kept quiet. She could not get close to him. She could _not_. Couldn't afford it, nor approve of it.

"I see," he continued like she _had_ answered, and it frustrated her—how dare he mock her?—"you have not. Are you certain that you would not like some of mine?"

Keeping a firm hold on her anger and another chant of _cannot get close to the Uchiha_ , she shifted and coldly replied, "Yes."

"Last night I asked my father about collectivism," he said stiffly, "and he told me it was nothing to be concern with."

She regretted ever mentioning the word around him now. Had she known that he would have persisted after it like a horse with a carrot on a stick, it would have never slipped out of her petite mouth. But, alas, it had and now she had to deal with the consequences. "Why do you care?"

"I know more words than you, yet this one evades me," the Uchiha said with a perfectly straight face and firm belief that he was right. It only served to aggravate her more.

"How do you know?" She was determined to stall and annoy him for as long as possible. He had chosen to pursue it, so might as well make him wait slightly longer.

A minuscule frown appeared, "I thought we had agreed to answer our questions, not with questions?"

"Let the past stay in the past." And yet she fought— _fought tooth and nail_ _and everything that came in between_ —…

She closed her eyes, took a shaky breath, and clenched her trembling hands. The past would stay in the past, yes, but she would not—could not—forget.

(— _blank, too blank, faces were being crossed and lost in a sea of drowning memories and she could do_ nothing _._

 _Nothing, but watch them screaming and shout, pleading for mercy till their shouts grew hoarse and strangled as churning, dark riptides strengthened their hold and tugged on their ankles like sirens with sailors._

 _Empty bubbles rushing to the now calm surface were all that were left._

 _She would grieve and lament alone, but never know why. Just a feeling of a tearing loss that broke and shattered her heart to pieces. She would always collect the pieces and put them together. Each and every time._

 _It_ hurt _._

 _Lost and never to be found, dragged to bottom, only their last breath escaping through their cold, numb lips_ —)

She gasped as something prodded her shoulder. Wide eyes met concerned dark ones, and she forced herself to scowl—not to cry, never to mourn—and snapped, " _What_?"

"Never mind." The concern was gone; instead replaced with anger.

Still, he took his seat with a well-concealed glare, for a child at least, and waited for Tsubaki-sensei to arrive.

She took unusually longer to walk through the doorway, and by then chaos had already over taken her class. The loud boys she had walked by before were setting up dares, some already performing them, while the girls had sectioned themselves off into their group, chatting and gossiping. There was a lone girl, or rather a lone wolf, staring at the other groups with envy and disdain.

Tsuki could relate to the disdain. She could never be envious of being ignorant and foolish though. She did, however, briefly wonder why an Inuzuka heiress would stoop down to their level, but the thought was fleeting, and soon their teacher was back.

"Quiet!" Tsubaki-sensei shouted, tying her curled, black hair into a quick ponytail. Which was odd, because her hair had been tied up before they left for lunch as she went to go join… _oh_. "I expect you to finish and turn in this worksheet by the end of this period…"

 _Oh_ , indeed.

With a small gasp and reddening cheeks, Tsuki tugged at her shoulder length hair and hoped it obscured Itachi's vision of her face just as it obscured her vision, because she had no deceptions about his hearing; if she had heard it, so had he. She could feel the burning curiosity held in his gaze, and despite her best interests, she grew self-conscious.

Acting nonchalant, she reached for the worksheet Itachi passed down to her all while avoiding eye-contact. She could get through the day, before spilling into a rant about how teachers weren't _supposed_ to _get it on_ at a place where _innocent_ —read; not yet corrupted—children were taught.

…

Obviously, her plan didn't work out.

(Plans were soon becoming the very bane of her existence she found.)

Between sending heated glances towards her teacher before cringing and trying to mentally bleach her mind, her worksheet didn't get as much attention as it should have. This, as she was quickly made aware of, was a problem that would not be tolerated.

"If you aren't going to work, Tsuki, you might as well go to detention," Tsubaki-sensei forewarned.

She nodded jerkily, only able to see a rather unwanted image flash in her mind. For the second time that day, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath before focusing on the worksheet resting in front of her.

How she wished she could sleep.

With a subtle shake of her head, she cleared the want behind the thought and read the first question.

 _The Golden Era of Tobirama took place in the 1500's and was a result of the end of the Second Shinobi War. (True/ False)_

Her eyes flickered to the chalkboard as she attempted to remember the dates of the Golden Era. It had been a result of the war, she knew that much. But dates had always been harder to remember for her, and it was saddening to see that nothing had changed.

Sighing and reprimanding herself for reading a novel, not studying during lunch when she had the time to do so, she moved on to the second question. And then to the third, fourth, and finally, tenth and last question with still no answers written down.

Frustration now addling her brain, she could only think of reasons why true and false questions were terrible—especially when training to become a shinobi. She hated worksheets like these. (She hated how childish she sounded.)

Itachi stood up beside her, his chair squeaking against the wooden floors, and stiffly walking to the tray to place his completed worksheet. After that, it was like floodgates being opened. Inuzuka Hana strolled over and handed it in with a self-congratulatory smirk. Ureshi and Izumi turned theirs in at the same time. Boys rushed as well raced discreetly so not to alert Tsubaki-sensei (she still caught them in the end with her sharp eyes seeming to spear them on the spot like a hunter would to a fish).

Everyone was done. Except for her.

She now had the pleasure of experiencing her classmates' eyes digging into her very being, instead of the Uchiha who found everything his business. It was _not_ a pleasure. Most certainly not.

Tapping her pencils against the table, she pondered if Tsubaki-sensei would be able to tell if she guessed on every single one, and if she would do anything. Then again, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.

She was getting detention either way.

.

Cursing Tsubaki-sensei and her hawk-like eyes, she took a seat in the empty room. Her eyes were narrowed in annoyance, but they soon flickered to the door when loud stomps could be heard.

 _Bang!_

The door slammed open and Hana Inuzuka appeared muttering under her breath. Tsuki couldn't hear the exact words from where she was, but she could only guess that it was something along the lines she had been thinking not even a minute ago. Her opinion of Inuzuka-san was elevated as a result.

Her scowling, light brown eyes met her own and she frowned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Is there a problem you have with me?" she parried.

"No." Inuzuka-san huffed, "just thought you were ' _smart_ ', you know."

"I'm not smart," she blurted out before pursing her lips together. She hadn't meant to say that. "Many other students in our class are smarter."

The girl took the seat underneath her, pulling the chair and sitting on it like a horse facing her. "Yeah, like… Uchiha Itachi. Don't you ever look at the ranks? Huh, maybe you're right, you aren't smart."

"Ranks?" She said blankly. Maybe reading during class wasn't the best?

" _Duh_ -umb." Inuzuka-san drawled out.

"Says the person who wants to have friends, and yet—remind me—where are they?" She snarked.

To her surprise, Inuzuka-san smirked, her fang poking through making it seem very… _feral._ "So you have a spine. _Good._ "

"Who did you fight with?" Tsuki asked, deciding to ignore whatever that had been supposed to be.

"Huh?"

"Today—who did you fight with?"

"Izumi."

Interesting. "Why?"

"Our opinions don't… _mix_ , let's say."

"Ah. Out of curiosity, how many fights have you gotten into, Inuzuka-san?"

"Call me Hana, I'm not my mom." Counting on her fingers, she murmured, "Sakuno, Izumi, Izumi, Ureshi, Takeshi—stupid Takeshi—and I think… wait, no. Today, Izumi, so that's like six. Probably more though…"

The thought came to her mind before she could stop herself. "Want to spare together?"

(She wasn't supposed to get attached.

 _What was she doing?_ )

"Sure," Hana grinned, both fangs glinting and yet, it wasn't as feral as before. "Want to go then?"

"Now?" She had given it a thought before but had dismissed it on the chance that something worse might happen.

"Why not?" Hana shrugged, "not like they're going to come back and check."

That was true, she supposed, and Mayu could survive on her own for two more hours. "Alright."

And so, after checking the corridor for teachers, they walked to the Inuzuka training grounds. Tsuki took care to remember the street names to return to practice more later with Hana, of course. She wasn't dumb as Hana had said.

"So how come Uchiha Itachi likes you so much?" Hana inquired, flipping her bangs out of her eyes.

She blinked, "he likes me?"

"Well, I mean, _I_ thought so," the girl sent her a look. "Always sitting next to you and telling you to have a piece of his lunch."

"You hear that?" she hadn't thought the famed Inuzuka hearing and smelling kicked in till later.

"Yeah, our senses develop until we hit six, but once you're four you pretty much already have enhanced hearing and smelling. Your recognition ability improves though, so that's why we say six." Hana shrugged. "So does he have a crush on you or something?"

"We're six." She said bluntly, "There's absolutely no way he likes me. Also have you seen him?" She couldn't resist taking a stab at him.

At Hana's cackles, her satisfaction levels grew and she allowed her lips to curve slightly. "If I had known you were this sassy, we would've been friends a _long_ time ago!"

"…friends?"

( _She wasn't supposed to have friends_.)

"Yeah, we did just skip detention to spare, didn't we?"

( _But she wanted to_.)

.

Her way back was spent in a raging silence as her wants grappled with her needs till she could no longer tell need from want and want from need.

( _Friends._

 _No friends.)_

She didn't know which to choose.

( _Yes._

 _No_.)

How could she choose? Both would tear her heart (and mind) apart.

(— _"You'll never forget me, right?" Laughter follows and she is smiling._ —)

(But she had.

She had forgotten.)

"Forgive me," she whispered. "Forgive me."

A lone tear slid down her pale cheek lit by the glowing moon. She blinked frantically, and wiped it away with a choked sob. She wouldn't cry—she _wouldn't_. She sucked in a ragged breath of cool air and after counting up to five seconds, she let it go. She repeated the process several times before finally regaining control of herself.

She couldn't mourn—couldn't drown in a sea of regrets alongside her forgotten friends.

She could only move forward. (Regardless of whether or not it meant breaking her own rules.)

With a solemn nod, she took one last puff of the chilly night air and continued on her way back to the place she now called home. The whole time she kept a firm hold on her emotions and refused to let them get out of hand. Despite being quelled, when a familiar silver haired boy ran by her curiosity swelled and slipped out of her grasp, and she was forced to follow it.

Her suspicions grew with each turn and her mind grew wild with endless possibilities. She wanted to call out and ask out right what was wrong but—

This was not her old world. Honesty was rare, honor was even rarer.

So she continued to shadow him, utilizing some of the tricks of the shinobi trade Tsubaki-sensei had taught. Keeping her steps light footed like a cats, but still holding her shoulders and face as nonchalant as she could. She had read up on techniques to make one's chakra practically non-existent, but she doubted she had enough chakra to even make much of a difference.

Her frown deepened when he swerved into an alley. Slowing down her pace, she shifted her steps to a loud steady gait like a civilian's and as she strolled past the abandoned alley her eyes widened.

There was no one in it; the alley was indeed abandoned

Almost immediately, she glanced up at the rooftops but saw no figure. Hesitantly, she stepped in the alley with silence as her company. After a couple more cautious looks and steps, Tsuki grew more confident and examined the floor and walls of the alley, looking for a seal that could have caused the boy's disappearance.

She found what she was searching for minutes later, a small ink seal on the leftmost wooden wall. There was a bit of a dirt smudge on the end of it where it appeared to curve into itself, and crouching, she unconsciously went to wipe it.

She had always been a slight neat freak. (She just never knew it would bite her back in this manner.)

Gasping, she was _pulled_ —her stomach flipped and her heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings and her mind was scrambling to find out what had just happened _and why was she being pulled like a limp doll attached to strings?_ —pulled through the seal. Into darkness and light and some in-between that filled her with such _nostalgia._ She was traveling as fast as a bullet train, her thoughts just as fast. Then—

Nothing.

All was still. Tranquil almost.

It was broken less than a second later as she stumbled into a darkly lit corridor. Her breath gave out, and she crumpled to her knees, wrapping her arms around her shaking appendages. That wasn't supposed to happen—she wasn't supposed to have traveled to _this place she didn't know_ —

She had to calm down.

(She was having far too many meltdowns for one night.)

She had to calm down.

(She was supposed to be invisible.)

 _She had to calm down._

(She was supposed to—)

A silver gleam in the dark. A shadow creeping. A hissed whisper.

The next thing she knew she was being thrown to the ground and a sharp kunai was being pressed against her throat.

" _Surrender_."

She let out a moan of agreement; her head had been slammed into the concrete floor, and she could feel blood beginning to ooze into her dark strands.

The boy—because the voice was far too high to be anything but a child—loosened his grip on the kunai as he allowed her to stand back up. Once she had, she swayed and her vision blurred before righting itself, however the ringing in the back of her head wasn't fading in the slightest.

"Move," he jabbed her lower back and she stumbled forward.

She licked her dry lips shakily as she attempted to find some reason in the insanity that threatened to swallow her whole. The darkness at the edge of her vision slithered forward like a snake in long grass that hid its movements. The ringing only rang louder and her balance was deteriorating rapidly.

There was no rhyme or reason to this, she discovered, nothing but insanity.

(She was slipping.)

"Danzo-sama, I found this in the adjourning hallway. Should I dispose of this inconvenience?"

She smiled crookedly, an inconvenience, was she?

Squinting, she scanned the room, looking for any piece of home or Konoha. She only found three dark figures.

One was tall and was presumably the 'Danzo-sama' that the boy who held her captive had referred to before. He had a cane if she trusted her eyes, it was either that or he had a third leg. He had on a brown robe that blended quite nicely with the shadows that seemed to swallow him whole. It also prevented her from identifying any particular facial details, unfortunately.

The other stood beside him and seemed short in stature in comparison to Danzo. He also had dark clothes that hugged his small figure, but she didn't take any notice to it. No, her unfocused eyes were peeled on his face that still had slight baby fat attached to it and the round glasses that glinted in the darkness.

"Smiley…" she whispered in astonishment. When she had followed him, she hadn't expected _this_.

A raspy chuckle drew her attention away from Smiley and the third and final figure that was all but hidden in the shadow. It took her a moment to process who it was that was chuckling; Danzo.

He stepped forward, his cane landing with an ominous clack that sent shivers down her spine. "My, my, you know of little Kabuto, do you?"

She whimpered. His presence was overwhelming—it was _everywhere_ —and it was suffocating her.

(She was scared. _She was scaredshewasscared_ —)

"A small, shivering rabbit waiting to be eaten…" His calculating (cold, _oh so_ cold) eyes were taking apart every piece of her soul and examining it, she was sure. There was nothing they could not pierce.

(He was the cunning wolf, lying in wait, and she was the naïve rabbit, shivering in her own fur.)

"So, tell me, Kabuto, who is she?" She swallowed nervously as his eyes were lifted off her form and onto Smiley's.

He stiffened, and walked forward jerkily like he was a puppet that had its strings cut off. The light moved off his glasses and she was finally able to see his emotions. They weren't as comforting as she thought they might have been.

Fear. There was fear and worry and confusion.

(All were reflected in her eyes and more.)

"She was… was an orphan like me," he said reluctantly.

Danzo's eyes narrowed, " _was_?"

"She disappeared a year ago."

"Ah, so you ran away like the poor rabbit you are." He hummed and she shuddered. "You're smart though… I'll let you in on a secret, Kabuto—or Smiley, as you call him—is working for me to help the woman you call Mother, to keep her orphanage running. He is supposed to help me for the rest of his life, but I'm willing to make certain changes…I'm sure you can figure it out yourself, little rabbit."

Smiley looked frozen, conflicted between warring emotions.

She ( _could not_ )—

But _Smiley_ —

(— _walking down the halls of the orphanage when she bumped into someone. Quick to apologize, she looked up apologetic, she knew better than to read and walk, but it was Smiley. Accurate to the name, he smiled sheepishly and she couldn't help but smile back—_ )

"I will help you… Danzo-sama."

(— _"Forgive me."_ —)

.

 **I told you some things would change and well... this was one of them :)**

 **Thank you so much Evanelle (I've never had anybody review every chapter, admittedly it was only two, but still!), schoolgirl, and OneWhoReadsTooMuch!**

 **(Also would you mind if I changed the title to something else?)**

 **Review? Please?**


	4. Of Petty Fights and Betrayals

_Chapter IV_

 _Of Petty Fights and Betrayals_

 _._

"Show her the training rooms," Danzo dismissed. "Kabuto has yet to report to me."

The boy that had brought her there, bowed and nodded in affirmation. Silently, she followed him and glanced around attempting to get a better grasp on her conflicting emotions. He didn't seem to mind, or even look back once to make sure she was behind him. She was secretly grateful—sniffles and shaky breaths were best left ignored.

The—underground?—compound was spacious with catwalks connecting the numerous rooms. She was reminded of a tower, except it wasn't as deep and was wider to fit the rooms. Her mind was brought back to a magical castle that had moving staircases and a dark forest surrounding it. (Had it really been almost more than seven years since then?) One detail that she found rather grim was that there was no color; only black.

(— _"Like the color of my soul."_ —)

Overcome with crippling sadness, she blinked rapidly and raised her arm to her heart. She clenched her dark shirt and gritted her teeth.

(Had she lost another to the hungry, churning sea?)

"These are the training grounds."

She stumbled to a stop, having not been paying attention, and mumbled a small sorry after bumping into the boy's back. He didn't reply.

After a pause that was filled with her staring at the large area—it had a tall ceiling and walls spaced apart by columns, he continued forward. "You will be told at a later date on which days you will be attending, but these will be where you come."

He was so… emotionless. A blank sheet practically.

A tap on her shoulder alerted her to the other presence. She startled, she hadn't heard anybody. To her surprise, it was Smiley. "I didn't hear you sneak up."

And didn't that speak volumes for how long he had been here?

"You will come here every Wednesday and Saturday for now." His eyes were shadowed, and her unease reappeared.

"For now?" She repeated hesitantly.

He nodded, "An academy student such as yourself wouldn't be able to logically improve as much if you came every day, thus only two days will have to do."

It made sense, she supposed, but what truly worried her was Smiley. And how had she not known about this covert (or was it? A councilman was the leader of it, so perhaps not?) division of what she was guessing Anbu as the boy showing her around had a plain white mask. It had no colors, just like the compound.

"Are…" she licked her lips, "Are you alright?"

"He is fine." The operative wearing the mask stated plainly. "I will find you next Saturday, now leave."

Then he was gone.

Kabuto seemed to relax slightly, and sent her a wry smile. "Guessing you don't know where the exit is?"

"Yeah," she rubbed the back of neck. Inwardly, she was relieved. Surely it couldn't be as bad as it had first seemed if he could still joke slightly. As he started leading the way, she attempted to create a mental map of what she knew of the building. "Thank you."

"Huh?" He snapped out of his reprieve. "Oh, it's nothing."

"So, um, how long…" She trailed off. They had never actually talked, now that she thought about it save that one time.

"Around half a year, I think." He shrugged. "So you named me Smiley?"

She cringed, "yeah. I know, I'm not the most creative."

"Well, I like it." He said firmly, "more than Kabuto."

She flushed, not accustomed to the praise. Hana had only indirectly complimented her during the spares earlier that night, and Tsubaki-sensei certainly wasn't one to hand out unnecessary praise. As for Itachi, well, he only served to grate on her nerves. "Thank you, Smiley."

Smiling, he flashed her two thumbs up. "It's… _good_ to have someone act human around me again."

She laughed dryly, out of her class, she would call herself the least human. Sobering, she apologetically said, "I'm sorry. I—I was selfish and left you all alone there. You shouldn't have had to deal with that by yourself…"

"No!" he waved his arms in front of him. "No, I'm glad you're not dead like I thought you were. I'm glad that you took your own fate in your hands… I don't think I could've, or even can."

"Yeah you can," she encouraged, feeling the need to help the poor boy (who was lost like Itachi, so why wasn't she helping Itachi?). "Just don't do anything you don't want to do."

"But you said yes to Danzo-sama."

"And I regret nothing."

"…Thank _you_ … Even my friends at the Orphanage wouldn't do anything… They would just _stare_."

"Oh—um, don't cry, please? Alright? …Good. I guess I just couldn't stand not being able to see you smile again, as cliché as that sounds. Wait—don't cry! That wasn't supposed to make you cry!"

"S—sorry." He shot her a wobbling smile, "Danzo-sama doesn't approve of emotions, and you, well, you are so full of them. It's really, really nice."

It was needless to say that she was stunned into silence. (She didn't think she was nice. She thought she was mean, cruel, and distant.)

Three turns later and one seal, she was back out in the city with no one the wiser of her disappearance, four times as stressed, and one happily beating heart.

(He was nice and kind, after all.

Somehow, it made her sacrifice a little more manageable.)

.

She had worried that Mayu would do something stupid during her untimely disappearance. And, evidently, she hadn't been the only one worried.

"I almost went to the Uchiha compound to ask the Uchiha you're always complaining about where you were. You were gone for three hours past the time we set up for each other!" Mayu ranted. "You can't just—just _vanish_ like that! I was worried, okay?"

"I get it," she said. "Now stop nagging me."

It had been pleasant to hear the other show her worry in shouting the first time. The third time however, not so much.

"Where even were you?" Mayu finally got around to ask the question she had been expecting since she had strolled through the door.

Tsuki didn't stop to look at the girl as she watched the water boil slowly. "I was sparing with a classmate."

"I thought you didn't have any friends."

(— _"She got you there,—"_ —)

(Why couldn't she hear the name? Why couldn't she remember her name?)

"I… didn't." She blinked lethargically. Small bubbles rose to surface breaking the (her) face in the reflection.

(She wanted to remember.)

"Oh, so who's your friend now?"

The water was boiling now. The face was gone now (like her memories), the clear water turning foggy as it grew hotter and hotter. It was hypnotizing, the light refracting in the bubbles and—

(— _"Oh hey, you read those too? I loved them, though the first one will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm — by the way. You?"_ —)

—it was overflowing, but she couldn't look away—

(— _"—, pretty lame name right?" It was bright, almost too bright. "Though you can call me —, since I'm just as awesome as her."_ —)

—and why was that?—

(— _"Maybe in your mind."_ —)

—she didn't know, but it was bright just like—

(— _"And here I was thinking we were going to be the bestest of friends." It was like staring into the sun. "I see how it's going to be."_ —)

She was being shoved aside for the second time that night (and she still wanted to know her name). Crumpling to the floor, she stared listlessly at the blank ceiling.

"Hey!" Someone was shouting. Was it for her? "What were you thinking? You could have burned yourself!"

She pulled herself off the floor, her eyes unfocused. "…And?" Was she not supposed to harm herself?

(She had been so close to finding out her name. _So close_.)

"You don't do things like that, Tsuki." The girl—Mayu, was it?—said looking concerned.

Slowly, too slowly, her mind cleared, the fog vanishing back to the darkest recesses of her mind (the ever choppy sea loomed all to close), and with her newfound clarity, she glanced at her unblemished hands. Had Mayu not been there would she have burned them? Would she have stopped herself?

She didn't think so, but decided not to linger on the ominous thought. She could analyze her actions later.

"Are you back to being yourself?" Mayu—there wasn't any more hesitance this time around—asked. "Gosh… first you come home late, next you practically harm youself… what's next?"

"I'm sorry," she furrowed her brows. "It won't happen again."

The girl flashed a grin, her previous concern gone. "Don't worry, even if it does, I'll be here."

"That's… that's good." She smiled in return. "I'm glad."

Mayu's grin slid off and a look of pure astonishment replaced it. Suddenly, to Tsuki's surprise, she was all up in her face and poking her cheeks. "Who are you and what have you done to my Tsuki? Give her back! Now!"

Tsuki took a step back, "umm, it's me?"

"Pushhh, you can't even say it confidently." Mayu taunted, flipping her hair condescendingly.

"Mayu," why had she even decided to live with this annoyance? "Shut up."

The girl's jaw snapped shut with a click, but a smile remained. "So it is you."

"Of course it's me, idiot."

"Hey! I was taking precautions, just like you taught me— _ouch_ , don't hit me."

"I taught you to be suspicious and to wait until you knew you could take them on if you were hundred percent sure. _And_ to never reveal that you were on to them.

"You broke all three of them, Mayu."

"Awww… I tried so hard too!"

"No, you didn't. Now go get me a cup of tea, we have a new lesson to cover."

"But it's practically midnight!"

"No matter, get out your notebook."

"When I said I wanted to be a medic-nin, I didn't mean staying up _sooo_ late."

"It'll pay off in the end, and move _faster_ Mayu! It's going to be six in the morning by the time you're done."

And thus went her night.

(She still didn't know her name.)

.

The next morning she found herself squished between two _very_ different people. Said people being Hana and the Uchiha.

It was about as terrible as it sounded, which is to say, _very_. She thought about switching seats with perhaps Izumi, just to rile Hana up as revenge. However, that would require actual effort and putting away her interesting book— _Wink, Poppy, Midnight_. Thus, she endured it and managed to tune them out—somewhat, at least.

Unfortunately, now was not such a time, and the words on the page seemed to mean nothing as she only had ears for the new petty argument that had risen up between Hana and the Uchiha. She wished for the headphones that hadn't yet been invented.

"…ink you're so smart and all that, but you're not, and you won't _ever_ be." Hana snapped, leaning over the desk to point her finger in his chest.

"The ranks seem to say otherwise," Itachi calmly remarked, his dark eyes remaining impassive.

Tsuki had no issue viewing him as the killer of his entire clan save his younger brother that had been born recently.

The young Inuzuka snarled, her canine flashing dangerously. In return, Itachi stiffened momentarily and his hands had closed the book that he had been reading.

Deciding she had already dealt with enough and wanting to be able to read in silence once more—she wanted to know who the liar was _dammit_ —she waved her hands in the air like she could dispel the almost tangible tension in the air and cleared her throat. "Just shut up already, I wasn't able to sleep well, and I want to be able to read in peace. Thank you."

The blessed silence lasted about five minutes before spiraling back to throwing words like weapons, which, she supposed, they were.

" _Quiet_!"

Of course, Tsubaki-sensei would be the one to shut them up. Why she thought otherwise, she wasn't sure. If it hadn't been for own demise by her hand, she would have declared her teacher as a God-given person.

"Today, we'll be doing a partner activity about the Hokage's as review for the test we have tomorrow. I will be the one providing the poster boards, so once you've gotten into groups, come see me and I'll hand one to you." She instructed clearly as she passed out the rubric for the project. "Remember, be creative."

Itachi handed her two sheets and, taking one as her own, she passed the last one to Hana who took hers with a grimace. Obviously she hadn't had a great experience with them in the past.

"I'll give you ten seconds to pick out your partner so be fast. Make sure to stand besides them." She finished. "Ten."

Hana turned to her with a grin, "Want to work together, Tsuki?"

"Nine."

She had a feeling she didn't have much of a choice. "Su—"

"Eight."

"As two intellectuals, we should work together." Itachi interrupted rapidly.

"Seven."

"Too bad, she's already working with me." Hana smirked. "Go find some loser to work with."

"Six."

"Has she already acquiesced to your demands?" The Uchiha inquired and Tsuki sighed, why couldn't they get along? A five was shouted in the background. "Because I don't believe I've heard her say yes."

"Four."

"Only because you interrupted her like the rude person you are." Hana couldn't seem to resist and she couldn't lie. It did feel good to see someone else seeing him as an arrogant asshole ( _a child_ ). "So Tsuki?" Hana looked back for an affirmation.

"Two."

"Yea—"

"Are you certain you won't regret it?" Itachi asked, looking slightly desperate.

"One."

"Oh my _gosh_ , just let her speak Itachi!" Hana growled as she marched up to him. "We're partners already so scat!"

"Zero." Tsubaki-sensei clapped her hands and let the class quiet down before continuing. "Alright, let's see here. Ureshi and Izumi, Sakuno and Takeshi, oh my, Hana and Itachi…"

The rest was a blur if only because she was internally dying of laughter. Their faces of bewilderment and shock seemed to have been copy and pasted in her mind as all she could see was them. Today might be so bad after all, she thought with a smile.

At least, until she realized what it meant for her. Working with a random stranger that probably didn't know jack shit.

…

She was going to fucking murder them, _and enjoy it_.

.

 **Some angst and fluff in this chapter. Hopefully, you like it. If not, tell me what I can do to make it better.**

 **Thank you ShizuSasori9, Myllinu, and OneWhoReadsTooMuch for reviewing! Also thank you to all the people who follow and favorite, I appreciate every single one of you.**

 **See you soon (maybe)!**

 **...Review please? Show some love :)**


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